John ‘Chick’ Webster, believed to be oldest living former NHL player, dies

John ‘Chick’ Webster, believed to be the oldest living former NHL player, has died. He was 97.

Webster died Thursday at his home in Mattawa, Ont., where he had resided since 1969. He played in five different professional leagues between 1940 and 1952, including a stint with the New York Rangers.

Webster played 14 games with the 1949-50 Rangers before breaking his hand and never suiting up again in the NHL. He recorded four penalty minutes in his short career.

The centre grew up in Toronto and broke into professional hockey with the Eastern Hockey League in 1940, but stepped away to serve his country in the Second World War.

He returned to the EHL upon his return from Europe and also played in the American Hockey League before eventually getting his chance with the Rangers as a 29-year-old. After his time with New York, he went on to play in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the semi-pro Western Hockey League.

Webster was thought to have held the distinction of the NHL’s oldest survivor since Jan. 4, 2017 when Hockey Hall of Famer Milt Schmidt died.